Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT), current owners of the HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) suite of image processing technology, has officially released the second generation of their industry-standard HQV Benchmark DVD and Blu-ray. (For some background on the original HQV Benchmark discs, see... well, pretty much every TV or Blu-ray player review we've posted here on Big Picture Big Sound.)
These discs have proven to be an essential resource for evaluating the picture quality and processing of both standard-definition and high-definition products. All video clips and test patterns on the Benchmark have been specifically designed to evaluate a variety of video processing tasks, which include video de-interlacing, film cadence detection, video-over-film, diagonal filtering, motion correction, noise reduction and resolution enhancement.
Most of the familiar content from the previous discs has been carried over, although in some cases with helpful new graphics, while some has been replaced by even more illustrative clips and test patterns. Emphasis has also been placed on calibration this time around, not strictly evaluation, so we can not only identify any limitations but adjust our source or display settings accordingly. Even more instructional narration is provided as an option, via a terrific new menu system, along with an introduction, overview of the tests and explanations of how they work. Audio synchronization tests are also included for the first time. Packaging is a simple cardboard envelope, and we can download the scoring chart from the HQV website.
The HQV Benchmark 2.0 DVD and Blu-ray are out now and coming soon to Amazon.com, at a suggested retail price of $19.99 for the SD version and $24.99 for the Blu-ray.
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